Category Archives: Citizenry

AMERICAS FOUNDERS WHERE NOT DEVOUT CHRISTIANS!

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The fathers of America, the founding fathers, the men who wrote the constitution were NOT devout Christians as so many Americans prefer to believe.  Preached from the pulpits or conservative podiums many Americans are lectured and choose to believe that following these “ardent God worshiping Christians” will save them and the country…some day!  The founding fathers are referred to, employed, adopted by fibbing politicians and doubt-dealing pundits  when trying to enforce a belief or theory. Many American Christians call the United States constitution a “sacred inspired text”.  One then needs to ask why,  which part and authored and written by whom?

“We want to impute to them our ideologies, our religion, because in them seems what we believe in” says the Utah Valley University President. However, historians who have seriously studied and researched the lives of these founding fathers claim most Americans assume, theorize, far too much about what these men really believed and how their beliefs, personal convictions, influenced the American constitution and it’s subsequent laws..

No doubt these founding fathers would have been quick to acknowledge it was an imperfect incomplete document, just remember slavery and suffrage!  The founding fathers OWNED people and Martha Washington, the First Lady of the Land, as other women, could not vote. The writers therefore cleverly allowed for future flexibility in the document. They wisely created a constitution that recognized necessary changes would and could be made as the new nation matured.

There is however  a reason why these men in the 1700s created the rules for a new country based on a strict separation of church (religion) and state (government).They had witnessed the negative influence in European countries where and when the Church and State merged. They believed that religion and government will both “exist in greater purity the less they are mixed together”. They did not want a state religion, rather the rights for all faiths which have spiritual and practical applications. The Father of the Constitution, James Madison, is responsible for the first amendment, the separation of church and state. It is he who argues of letting religion survive “on its own merits”. Madison was joined by the founding fathers warning against the peril and danger of the encroachment of Ecclesiastical Bodies in government.

George Washington was a member of the Church of England (Episcopal) and attended services near his home in Virginia. However although he accepted the philosophy of a supreme being rejected prophecy, miracles, and revelation.  He was considered a Deist.

John Adams was a Congregationalist who later changed to a Unitarian, believing in the resurrection however discarding the Trinity and that Jesus was divine.

Ben Franklin, of puritan decent, was raised an Episcopalian but identified himself, like Washington, as a Deist. He was the epitome, the embodiment, of the Renaissance Man, widely diverse in all areas of life and belief.

Thomas Paine, he too would be considered a follower of the Deism philosophy.

James Madison, who was responsible for the disestablishment of the Anglican, Church of England, in Virginia, was the owner of hundreds of slaves who worked on his plantation.

It was Madison who summarized the first amendment as ” CONGRESS SHOULD NOT ESTABLISH A RELIGION AND ENFORCE THE LEGAL OBSERVATION OF IT BY LAW, NOR COMPEL MEN TO WORSHIP GOD IN ANY MANNER CONTRARY TO THEIR CONSCIENCE OR THAT ONE MIGHT OBTAIN A PRE-EMINENCE, OR TWO COMBINED TOGETHER AND ESTABLISH A RELIGION TO WHICH THEY WOULD COMPEL OTHERS TO CONFORM.” (August 15,1789)

It was John Adams who is quoted “I UNDERSTAND THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION IT WAS, AND IS, A REVELATION. BUT HOW HAS IT HAPPENED THAT MILLIONS OF FABLES, TALES, LEGENDS, HAVE BEEN BLENDED WITH BOTH JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN REVELATION THAT HAVE MADE THEM THE MOST BLOODY RELIGION THAT EVER EXISTED?” (December 27/1816)

The American founding fathers were creative visionary wise men who believed in a God, but each in their own way.  Their individual beliefs were personal, practical, educated and  without religious passion. Their intention in the drafting of the United States Constitution was there be a written appreciation of that individual liberty, choice, to or not to, follow a faith as the citizen himself chooses without hindrance, impediment,  or the support financially and or dictate by rule of law of any government.

TRUTH:  The founding Fathers were brilliant visionaries but not divine DEVOUT CHRISTIANS!!! and as Ronald Reagan said “Our very unity has been strengthened by our pluralism. We establish no religion in this country, we command no worship, we mandate no belief nor will we ever.  Church and State are and must remain separate.”

Perhaps the founding fathers and those Presidents that followed might add…..BE AWARE OF THE RELIGIOUS PASSIONS OF THOSE  DEVOTED TO THE DOCTRINE ONLY THEIR BELIEF AND GOD EXISTS AND USE OF GOVERNMENT IS BUT A TOOL TO ACCOMPLISH THEIR GOAL.

church & state

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RESPECT TRUST GONE! HELL WITH EVERYONE ELSE

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Post image for COMMENTARY 760.2 BUSINESS ETHICS: CAN CORPORATE ETHICS PROGRAMS DO ANY GOOD?

DEMOCRACY depends on respect.  CAPITALISM depends on trust.
When respect and trust are under attack from a countries political, social and religious establishment, the cost is growing cynicism. It finds expression in the likes of the Tea Party in USA, religious fundamentalism, and the Occupiers. Bewilderment and anger brew in the populace. Economic disaster quickly prevails, without trust citizens avoid even the most sensible economic offers for fear of risk with the once regarded institutions. Lacking respect and void of trust, the citizenry thinks, and facts confirm, the “game” is rigged and not in their favor. Millions believe the banks, Wall Street, the government has sold them out. The mountainous inequality in wealth and power between the SUPER wealthy 1% and the rest is fodder to this hopelessness, frustration  and fear.  Seriously concerning, they, the 99%,  become prey, gullible to ambitious political “nuts” promising the impossible, the illogical, with their synthetic faces and fast talking tongues from their political podiums and religious pulpits. Lacking respect and trust a polarized society develops in each country, the formula spins hatred from fear and frustration.

A political spin is woven taking advantage of this fear and frustration. Political spin bosses control the information we read and use that reality to manipulate to their economic and political advantage.  The assumption is made that the voting public is ignorant, naive, immature and hence vulnerable.   Political parties, politicians, religious leaders, create a distortion of facts and concentrate on distractions to keep the citizens from focusing on the real issues that require attention and CHANGE.  Social issues are prioritized. Citizens are fed black and white thinking and outright lies through the media distortions.  Some “news” stations spew fanatic passionate controlled “information”, making voter emotionally reactive, polarized and easily manipulated.

The lack of RESPECT and TRUST also manufactures a new generation hardened to consideration of your neighbor, callous to equal rights for everyone, shameless to belonging and contributing to your community, disdain for the less fortunate, and inept to improving the environment. The cultural changes also easily spin a society of selfishness, greed, arrogance, wrapped up in oneself, with the first and only commandment MONEY.  It’s the creation of the ME GENERATION.    Like the 1% – this new generation’s  slogan:                                     HELL WITH EVERYONE ELSE.

me generation

 

 

 

I DON’T REMEMBER

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Memory loss.

I DON’T REMEMBER:

American Teachers, public employees, planned parenthood, Nation Public Radio, organized labor, crashing the US stock market, wiping out over half of American 401KS, grabbing TRILLIONS in taxpayer funded bail outs, spilling and dumping oil in the Gulf of Mexico, and then giving THEMSELVES BILLIONS in bonuses …… and  pay no taxes…..!!!!!!

NO, I DON’T REMEMBER

AMERICA SHOULD BE ASHAMED

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America is in a crisis.  Economic downturn, educational losses, political stalemate, mountainous debt, a disappearing Middle Class, a slipping rating in world status, and the highest POVERTY in its’ history.

The U.S. economic system is dying.  Instead of addressing the toxic problem, like unemployment, debt, economic inequality, lacking education, repeated negative budgets  every year……..U.S. politicians are busy addressing contraception, abortion, gay marriage, woman’s “rights”, God in government, and YES, contemplating another war. They forget America has not paid for the last two wars they  charged “on the country’s credit card”… Blaming each other for the country’s problems they have managed to achieve an approval rating of their citizens UNDER 10%. Obviously these political in-it-for-life hacks,  do not have mirrors in their homes, they certainly don’t look at themselves!

NUTS most politicians from both parties in the USA are LEADER-LESS NUTS.

Running around the U.S. these masqueraders offering hope and change and giving the citizens a vague sense that things will get BETTER is NOT going to work. They cloak the monumental U.S. problems into home town mentality and bias.  Their pumped up religious, social and racial agendas are insulting and camouflage for the true problems of the country. Most of the politicians in America are much too busy either trying to get elected or to stay in power to worry about or tackle these very serious REAL problems. PROBLEMS which are quickly killing the American economy, souring the American people and destroying any semblance of the “fair and equal” American Dream.

The United States population, the citizens,  share the blame.  These days all many Americans seem to want is to watch a “good”  TV show. Americas’ problems are for others to solve. Voting? why that deed is for Dancing with the Stars or America’s got Talent…..Perhaps the Disney World inspired “paint job” has  worked. .Most Americans are  under the delusion the United States will always be the wealthiest nation in the world. That’s certainly what we hear on our TVs, where even “news” is often entertainment!

“QUICK, SEND IN THE CLOWNS”   “WELL MAYBE NEXT YEAR”    Thanks Stephen Sondheim…….but they’re already here…….

www.greenberg-art.com

QUOTE OF THE DAY – US POLITICS 2012

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“THEY CLAIM TO BE SUPER PATRIOTS, BUT THEY WOULD DESTROY EVERY LIBERTY GUARANTEED BY THE CONSTITUTION.  THEY DEMAND FREE ENTERPRISE, BUT ARE THE SPOKESMEN FOR MONOPOLY AND VESTED INTERESTS.  THEIR FINAL OBJECTIVE TOWARD WHICH ALL THEIR DECEIT IS DIRECTED IS TO CAPTURE POLITICAL POWER SO THAT, USING THE POWER OF THE STATE AND THE POWER OF THE MARKET SIMULTANEOUSLY THEY MAY KEEP THE COMMON MAN IN ETERNAL SUBJECTION”

VP Henry Wallace was talking of  American Fascists…..HIS WORDS APPROPRIATE  DESCRIBING THE POLITICAL SITUATION 2012 IN US

QUOTE OF THE DAY – A country governed for the Rich.

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” THE COUNTRY IS GOVERNED FOR THE RICHEST, FOR THE CORPORATIONS, FOR THE BANKERS, THE LAND SPECULATORS AND FOR THE EXPLOITERS OF LABOUR. THE MAJORITY OF MANKIND ARE WORKING PEOPLE. SO LONG AS THEIR FAIR COMMANDS – THE OWNERSHIP AND CONTROL OF THEIR LIVELIHOODS ARE SET AT NAUGHT, WE CAN HAVE NEITHER MEN’S RIGHTS NOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS.  THE MAJORITY OF MANKIND IS GROUND DOWN BY INDUSTRIAL OPPRESSION IN ORDER THAT THE SMALL REMNANT MAY LIVE IN EASE”.  HELEN KELLER

Sad!    Her quote is very appropriate in today’s world too.

A letter to Ben Franklin from the 1% -Dear Ben, YOU ARE WRONG ABOUT DEATH AND TAXES

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Cartoon Image of Ben Franklin

‘IN THIS WORLD THERE IS NOTHING CERTAIN BUT DEATH AND TAXES” Ben Franklin  Times change. Ben Franklin is due a letter…..

2012

Dear Ben,

Now we know you were one of the founding fathers of the United States. You were an author, politician, diplomat, inventor, satrist and businessman and you made lots of quotes like your one about Death and Taxes. You were so right about death.    These days even our club of the incredibly wealthy, (we have billionaires now) the super powerful; they call us  “the one percent”, cannot buy our way out of the ultimate ending, DEATH.  BUT, here’s where it all changes and you were wrong. You see Ben, now in America you can avoid paying taxes.  It is not impossible. It is no longer “Certain” like you remember.  It isn’t difficult either as long as you  “buy” the necessary tools. I recommend a team of highly paid lawyers, an army of accountants, be sure to own your politicians, “golf” (you know what I mean)  with a few important judges and finance (in the millions) something new to you, called LOBBIES.  It’s a great formula because it works, Ben I recommend it, it works! Look at me, I and my 1% club own everything, there isn’t much left,  I grabbed MY American Dream. Now I recognize you wrote in the Declaration of Independence that all men are equal in rights and that government is the servant NOT the master of the people.  Ben, that’s not the way it is today.  We live in a MODERN age. All men are not equal and its ok to have government be master as long as my club controls that government.

Let me explain: You must understand times have changed seriously to when you helped form the constitution.  The constitution hasn’t been changed verbally  but recently with the help of five justices in the  Supreme Court and a self serving dysfunctional Congress new definitions (interpretations) have been allowed and “attached” to the framers  document.  Ben, rest assured it is still precious and kept in Washington to view.  It is still tediously referred to in debates when the pundits want to   s t r e t c h  their points and comfortably forgotten when they don’t.  Since you and your associates Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Thomas Paine and James Madison have left us it has been used to justify all kinds of political, lifestyle, environmental, and social decisions. Some you guys may even approve. However in the last twenty years our society has seriously shifted.  In these few years we have created a club, made up of 1% who own, control and are SO RICH.   Yes, we do have the others. We call them the 99%. Yes, I know you included them in the  Declaration of Independence and Constitution but that was years ago.

Since you have been away we have redefined your friend Thomas Jefferson’s “We the people”.  Ben it sounded great when the committee first drafted it over 200 years ago but these days nearly all the country’s wealth is in the hands of a tiny tiny few. It really means “We the rich and powerful”.  Now understand we did not change the lovely writing, we merely adapted the “understanding” of the words. The judges and politicians don’t  publicly admit our new definition – you can imagine why – but it is needed to comply to the MODERN  American way.

Try to recognize it was a stroke of selfish genius that our club members  have been able to create a modern interpretation of the constitution.  Today, most Americans don’t bother to read the  document you guys wrote. We all have more important concern  focusing on our growing wealth, keeping it all in the family, and yes, granting ourselves healthy bonuses, (Now Christmas comes a few times each year in the MODERN calendar) and of course avoiding taxes.  The others, the 99%, we leave  to their reality shows on our corporate owned and controlled TV stations. We even have one called “Dancing with the Stars”, little like the minuet but MODERN!  We  manipulate the news with an army of political hacks who have become opinionated bigoted broadcasters. They are encouraged  to sprinkle fear, bias, religion, abortion, God, guns and gays, even hate. We call in DISTRACTION.  Our club keeps the others, the 99%. content, entertained.

I confess, we owe our success to “our” politicians. We could not have done it without them. We bank rolled their political campaigns with millions in  “contributions” so they owe us. Some things never change like now It is pay back time. You once said “never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today”, so following your advice the one percent have taken control of all the financial institutions, corporations, press (yes we still have one but not like your old printing press), natural resources, and become so successful why we are BIG – TOO BIG TO FAIL. and we did it quickly like you suggested.

Our “friends” in congress have made the framers’ constitution look like a Swiss cheese – just joking – but we have bought, whoops, manged, lots of under the table tag-on holes in the laws so “We the Rich and Powerful”…don’t have to pay those “certain” taxes you were wrong about.  Ben, would you believe these days you can sit home on your plantation just like the old days, do absolutely  nothing, earn millions of $$$$$$  (called investments) and pay less than half the tax rate the gardeners get hooked for working your estate.

You wrote “He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money.”  Ben here you were 100% right. Money does everything and we do it all for money..we needed our friends to make it possible but it worked like I told you.

Your dear friend

a MODERN ONE PERCENT AMERICAN

 

 

QUOTE OF THE DAY Woodrow Wilson

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“The government which was designed for all the people, has got into the hands of the bosses and their employers, the SPECIAL INTERESTS.  An invisible empire has been set up above the forms of democracy”.

President Wilson could be talking of today…..even more so…and no longer invisible, just their $$$$ hidden behind Supreme Court rulings

QUOTE OF THE DAY Aristotle

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” DEMOCRACY IS WHEN THE INTELLIGENT AND NOT THE MEN OF PROPERTY, ARE THE RULERS”  Aristotle

“IF LIBERTY AND EQUALITY, AS IS THOUGHT BY SOME, ARE CHIEFLY TO BE FOUND IN DEMOCRACY, THEY WILL BE BEST ATTAINED WHEN ALL PERSONS ALIKE SHARE IN GOVERNMENT TO THE UTMOST.”   Aristotle

That is 100%….not the 1% vs the 99%……….

THOMAS JEFFERSON TURNING IN HIS GRAVE…for the second time

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Teaching The Gilded Age

Americas GILDED AGE wasn’t so gilded for the ninety nine percent.  This period of American history (1878 – 1917) is also descriptively known as ROBBER BARON ERA.  The ROBBER BARON ERA, saw a Dickensian USA, a tiny club of VERY wealthy businessmen and landowners , the titans,  the Newport mansion club, and a very large class of desperately poor workers. The Gilded Age gave birth to well know American family names. Dynasties were born: Rockefeller, Mellon, Morgan, Carnegie as the super rich industrialists and financiers created the American “upper class” of opulence. Wealth was accumulated through exploitation of very low wage scales and dominant government influence.

Sound familiar? It should!

In the Gilded Age, the wealthy minority obtained control, claimed ownership, created monopolies over the countries resources. technology, the railroads, steelworks, oil production etc.  They, with their corporations, amassed huge wealth.  The country’s wealth grew but moved no further than in the grasp of the top 1%. There was no “trickle down” $$$$, no crumbs “trickling” from the table in the Golden AGE. Just the lavishly RICH few and the multitudes of poor.

The gilded age formula was to cut government interference, pay no taxes, avoid inheritance taxes for the dynasty, create monopolies too bid to fail, “buy” the politicians, strangle employee bargaining and destroy “unions”, keep workers off balance, concerned, worried about their security, their paycheck, then pay wage scales as low as possible. Move off shore but still keep your fists in the US government  “pot” and, of course,  fly the patriotic flag, even if only for show.

FAMILIAR?

Virtually all recorded history society has been divided into very small fantastically wealthy powerful class, the political rulers, and the enormously large population of poor, slave, serf, working class.  Society stayed this way until the emergence of DEMOCRACY.  Democracy, in the political machines of government, in the factory workrooms, in formation of unions and guilds, in government laws and regulations aimed at leveling the economic, political field, intent on creating fairness, for the peoples’ good, a MIDDLE CLASS, a DEMOCRACY.

A democracy produces a middle class and requires a middle class to survive. Democracy and the Middle Class are inextricably intertwined.  To break either of them is to destroy the viability of both. Democracy gives birth to the Middle Class and can only exist when the Middle Class is strong and allowed to grow.

At the end of the Gilded Age, (Robber Baron Era) and  the depression,  the people  recognized the need for a social and economic fight on behalf of WE THE PEOPLE. They acknowledged this interdependence of Democracy and Middle Class. A struggle to develop a period of change was undertaken, focused on  opportunity through sharing, truth, pride, hope, and trust.  Under the leadership of FDR, the THE AMERICAN DREAM was truly born. The middle class grew and America boomed.

FDR pointed out in 1936 the rule of many requires that WE THE PEOPLE have a degree of economic as well as political freedom. When WE THE PEOPLE are given the opportunity to a good education, earn a decent living wage, own home, feed confident and secure, good child care, health care, care for the old age, then America has a thriving pulsating MIDDLE CLASS – America has a thriving DEMOCRACY.

Thomas Jefferson and George Washington did not fight a revolutionary war to create a country only for the wealthy property owners.  Thomas Jefferson in particular knew what was needed for the foundations of an American  middle class, perhaps why he put “LIFE LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS” into the Declaration of Independence.  Thomas Jefferson did not want business to profit at the expense of WE THE PEOPLE. The government he created was designed to operate for the benefit of ALL the people and not a select few nor benefit of business at the expense of “we the people”.

Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1816   “those seeking profits were they given total freedom would not be the ones to trust to keep government pure and our rights secure.  Indeed it has always been those seeking wealth who were the source of corruption in government. ”

These days we are told “government is too large, small government is best”. All the countries ills are due to BIG government, government  interference in business. Organized labor is destructive, Taxes are too high. “Free Trade” is the answer as tariffs  are removed and laws to protect the workforce and disowned.  It is easy to understand and appreciate why.  What the pundits, the preachers of the one cent,  do not say is that the reason they want SMALL GOVERNMENT is because they can make an enormous amount of money – a killing – when they with “their” government privatize formerly owned government functions.  The result of such privatization is a power vacuum that allows herculean corporations and the super rich to step in and PROFIT $$$$$ from anything and all that used to be government “WE THE PEOPLE” and NONPROFIT.        Who wins? the ONE PER CENT.       Who makes it happen?  the “in the pocket”  POLITICIANS.    Who looses? the middle class.     Who pays?  “WE THE PEOPLE”.

Small Government doesn’t mean fewer politicians, fewer taxes for the 99%. It means government of, by and for the corporations, for inherited wealth, the elite,and the super rich.  It means  HELL with “WE THE PEOPLE” . It means a lean mean government stripped of all power to “interfere”, governing for the benefit of the very few, the 1%!  The return of the ROBBER BARON ERA.

The newest political manta is “let the market decide” not government.  BUT where and what is the market independent of government, any government? What is really being said is “Let us make government work to help corporations instead of people. Let us provide all the services corporations need and then make the people foot the bill, like let corporations decide how much to pay for their labor and when, where, how to trade.  No government restrictions, no laws protecting employees rights, salaries, heath care, hours, and NO agencies peering over the corporate shoulders!!!!   Easy to do?  Sure,  hide the true intentions with a few Hollywood meaningless but catchy political slogans like “Job Creators” “Trickle Down”  “Compassionate deficit” “let the market decide” even “food stamp President”!!  Be sure you “BUY RIGHT” by paying the campaign of the chosen and winning President:  $$$ for their buddies the “in for a  lifetime” politicians:  $$$$$$$$ for the K Street lobbies, Then you cut public education budget,  manipulate your news, add some hate, racism, religion, guns, gays and finish with a ton of FEAR…..just stay away for the truth and ECONOMY.

Government is a necessity and a Democratic government depends on the ability to play referee to the game of business while protect labor and the public good.  Jefferson himself  insisted on the importance to control “overgrown wealth” from becoming “dangerous to the state”; a danger to democracy, the government of “WE THE PEOPLE”.

Since Reagan’s introduction of VOO DOO economics, and with the help of his pal, Alan Greenspan, convinced the American public it works; the rich grew fabulously richer  and have continued to accumulate vast wealth under subsequent administrations.  During Reagan (1981 to 1989) the income of the wealthiest 5 percent rose by 25% while the income of the bottom 50 per cent stayed flat. Today 400 people own as much as 150 MILLION Americans combined.  Laws have been created aimed at destroying the fair play safety nets of FDR, attacking unions and workers rights to organize, creating a “comfy” Supreme Court, at the same time passing laws with vast loop holes in restrictions and enabling tax avoidance.  The “middle class” of FDR is being pushed aside.  The American Congress has justly earned its miserable, polarized and dangerous approval rating of NINE PERCENT 9% – by doing the “will” of the tiny few.

THOMAS JEFFERSON, FDR,  AMERICA NEEDS YOU!!!ONCE MORE